The addition of neurosurgical services at Rome Memorial Hospital means patients like Rosario Sorce, of Marcy, have a new option for scheduling surgical procedures which may reduce their wait time and relieve their pain sooner. Board certified neurosurgeon Nicholas Qandah, DO, medical director of Neurosciences at Rome Memorial Hospital, sees patients in the Rome office of his practice, Central New York Brain & Spine Neurosurgery, and performs surgery and administers pain treatments at the hospital. Fellowship trained in complex and minimally-invasive spine surgery, Dr. Qandah has expertise in regenerative and less invasive treatment of the spine.

For those, like Rosario, who suffer from the pain of a neurosurgical disorders, being able to receive treatment at more convenient times and closer to home is greatly appreciated.Rosario, 83, said that pain in his back, hip and leg increased in severity over the course of several months. Eventually, the pain become so debilitating that he was forced to walk with a cane and was unable to do the things he loved, like gardening and playing with his grandchildren. Ultimately his overall health began to decline because the pain kept him from resting comfortably at night. He made an appointment to see his primary care physician (PCP).Rosario’s doctor prescribed pain medication and recommended physical therapy. After weeks of therapy, however, Rosario said his pain continued to worsen. He returned to his PCP, who then ordered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine exactly what was causing the pain.

The MRI images indicated that Rosario had a bulging disc in his lower spine that was pinching the sciatic nerve and causing the pain. After seeing the MRI report, Rosario’s PCP recommended he see Dr. Qandah.

“I was scared,” Rosario said when his doctor recommended he see the neurosurgeon. “Just the idea of having surgery is a scary thing, plus my son had had back surgery that did not help him at all. My doctor had asked me to rate the pain from 1-10, well this pain was a 15 and it was constant, 24/7. I had to see what Dr. Qandah could do for me, and I am so happy I did.”

At his first appointment with Dr. Qandah, Rosario said the surgeon was able to calm some of his fear.

“Dr. Qandah is very nice and easy to talk to. He said not to worry, everything would be fine and he was going to make me ‘good as new’,” Rosario laughed. He added that Dr. Qandah is able to explain things in easy to understand terms and his sense of humor really made Rosario feel comfortable when asking questions.

Rosario also found it easy to talk with other members of Dr. Qandah’s staff. When explaining to Physician Assistant Alex Carangelo that he planned to discuss the surgery with his son, Dr. Qandah’s associate volunteered to call him.

“Alex said he would be happy to talk to my son and answer any questions that we had,” Rosario said. “After talking with Alex, my son did some research of his own. Later he called me back and said that from what he read, Dr. Qandah is the best doctor for this type of surgery in Central New York.”

Rosario said he was so happy to be able to get his surgery scheduled the following week at Rome Memorial Hospital and to be able to get pain relief so quickly.

“I had never been to Rome hospital before, but I have to say the service was excellent,” Rosario said. “Everyone was so nice and took great care of me.”

“They all really treated the family members well too,” added his wife, Geri.

Rome Memorial Hospital has been nationally recognized for patient safety and has the lowest surgical site infection rate of hospitals in the region.

“The nursing staff was wonderful,” Rosario continued. “About two hours after surgery, they helped me get up and I was surprised to feel so much better already. I asked if I could go for a little walk and the nurse walked up and down the hallway with me.”

Following his surgery, Rosario spent the night at Rome Memorial Hospital and then was ready to get back to his life, pain free. “Since the surgery, I have no more pain,” he said. “I’m still careful though and don’t do any heavy lifting.”

Rosario is able to lift a couple of bottles of his homemade wine, however, which he brought to Dr. Qandah at each of his follow-up appointments just to express his appreciation.

“I would recommend Dr. Qandah and Rome hospital to anyone, in fact I already have,” Rosario said. “I could not have asked for better treatment than I got at Rome hospital, and when it comes to this type of surgery, Dr. Qandah is the best there is.”

In addition to general neurosurgery, Dr. Qandah treats patients with back and neck pain, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and herniated discs. He has special interest and expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery, complex spine surgery, and surgery for scoliosis.

PAIN FREE – Rosario Sorce, left, was living with constantpain due to a bulging disc in his lower spine that was pinchingthe sciatic nerve. Now Rosario says he is pain free, after surgeryperformed by board certified neurosurgeon Nicholas Qandah, DO,at Rome Memorial Hospital, where the surgeon serves as medical director of Neurosciences. Rosario said he could not have asked for better treatment then he received from Dr. Qandah and Rome Memorial Hospital.

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